Biohydrogen production is measured using a variety of techniques, ranging from low cost intermittent gas release methods where yields are usually reduced due to high partial pressures of hydrogen, to expensive respirometers that can eliminate pressure buildup. A new large headspace volume technique was developed that reduces the potential for hydrogen gas inhibition without the need for a respi...

This study shows that a short-term respirometric measurement based on the rate of oxygen uptake needed to oxidize glucose is a reliable and fast method to assess biocide efficacy against P. fluorescens cells. Respiratory activity using oxygen consumption rate, the determination of viable and nonviable cells using Live/Dead BacLight kit and colony formation units (CFU), were compared as indicato...

Nowadays, there are increasingly stringent regulations requiring more and more treatment of industrial effluents to generate product waters which could be easily reused or disposed of to the environment without any harmful effects. Therefore, different advanced oxidation processes were investigated as suitable precursors for the biological treatment of industrial effluents containing phenol. We...

The aim of the paper is to assess the experimental errors arising from the operation of a closed respirometer using autotrophic biomass. A closed, intermittent-flow device has been set-up for the measurement of oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and parameter calibration. After describing the device structure and operation, the factors affecting accuracy have been assessed. Inaccuracies may be caused by ...

Activated carbon amendment to contaminated soil has been proposed as an alternative remediation strategy to the management of persistent organic pollutant in soils and sediments. The impact of varying concentrations (0%, 0.01%, 0.1% and 1.0%) of different types of AC on the development of phenanthrene catabolism in soil was investigated. Mineralisation of (14)C-phenanthrene was measured using r...

Contamination of soil by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is frequently associated with non-aqueous-phase liquids. Measurement of the catabolic potential of a soil or determination of the biodegradable fraction of a contaminant can be done using a slurried soil respirometric system. This work assessed the impact of increasing the concentration of transformer oil and soil:water ratio on the micr...

Much of what is known regarding Riftia pachyptila physiology is based on the wealth of studies of tubeworms living at diffuse flows along the fast-spreading, basalt-hosted East Pacific Rise (EPR). These studies have collectively suggested that Riftia pachyptila and its chemoautotrophic symbionts are physiologically specialized, highly productive associations relying on hydrogen sulfide and oxyg...

Green waste (leaves, grass and shredded twigs) was composted for 5.5 months in a wooden composting bioreactor, of 1 m capacity, using both passive convective aeration, facilitated by the design of the bioreactor, and manual turning. Temperature was measured daily, while samples were analysed for moisture content, volatile solids, pH value and electrical conductivity, all of which showed a typic...